Who next for Big Enzo Macc?
I always knew Enzo Maccarinelli would be back. It was just a question of time. His recent losses to Ola Afolabi and Dennis Lebedev had ushered in severe doubt regarding his future in some areas of the boxing fraternity. But “Big Macc” proved to his faithful that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the cruiserweight division last night, when he smashed Russian tough guy Alexander Kotlobay to defeat inside a single round.
Enzo looked sharp behind a high guard, had good speed and punch array. It was obvious that his punches have lost none of their venom. Fair play to Kotlobay, who was game and landed several good punches of his own, but once that big right hand from Macca landed, the result, was never really in doubt.
And so Maccarinelli is now the European cruiserweight champion. With a fine return in the shape of three consecutive first round stoppage wins, the question remains – what next for the Swansea puncher?
In terms of a world title shot there may still be some way to go for Enzo. He is not currently ranked in the top ten with any of the ‘big four’ organisations, but once this new win registers that could well change. With both the WBC and IBF titles currently vacant, and no title defences scheduled with the WBA, the cruiserweight division could be forgiven for looking a little sparse at the moment. Marco Huck has been the division’s figurehead in recent times, defending his WBO title against Ola Afolabi and Adam Richards. A rumble with Huck would be one to see, as both men have held the same titles, (WBO and European titles) both can punch and both are determined to progress. Enzo has greater experience than Huck and would be able to give Huck problems with his height and range.
Looking further out, it is unlikely that a challenge for the WBC title is in the offing, despite the EBU’s close affiliation with the WBC. Giacobbe Fragomeni and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk are currently scheduled to rematch for the belt following their twelve round draw last year. The winner of the contest is due to face Herbie Hide, should he come through his challenges in the forthcoming Prizefighter contest. At first I thought a potential Hide win in Prizefighter would perhaps spark a challenge for Macca’s EBU belt (a la Audley Harrison) but given that Hide already has a high ranking with the WBC this is unlikely to happen. A match between Hide and Macca would be an explosive domestic matchup without a doubt, but at this stage looks improbable.
How about matching Macca against Danny Green or Steve Cunningham for the vacant IBF title? Green has had much success of late, blitzing Roy Jones Jnr and Manny Siaca. Again it would be the clash of the big punchers. Huck conqueror Cunningham would also present a tough challenge, having recently disposed of former Maccarinelli victim, Guyanan tough guy Wayne Braithwaite. A contest with Guillermo Jones for the WBA title is unlikely. “El Felino” has not fought for over a year and it may opt for a warm up fight before going on to defend his title again.
Consequentially the road to the title lies in defending his new belt. Which is a tough prospect when you realise that Maccarinelli may have to oblige Denis Lebedev with a rematch, or face Grigory Drozd or Alexander Alexeev. All of these contenders seem in their prime in terms of age and condition, and boast only two losses between all three of them, so there will be no easy routes.
Only two things are certain. Firstly, Maccarinelli is the new European king. Secondly the division is wide open, with a good crop of fighters all waiting to rise up and snatch a place in the elite ranks. These seem the perfect conditions for Enzo to begin to re-establish his presence in the upper echelons of the cruiserweight division.
Enzo is definitely capable and if successful he will lend real weight to his future legacy. I wish likeable Welshman all the very best.
